Finding Inspiration

Growing up as a girl I was made to believe that I could not be as good as the boys when it came to athletics. I had all boy cousins, and I could never run as fast as they could. I could never water ski as easily as they could. I could never golf as well as they could. And the reasoning they gave was always that girls are just not as athletic. That boys will always run faster, because they are boys.

That may be true. It might be true that guys are stronger, or at least that guys have the ability to be stronger. But honestly I think I am probably stronger that half of the guys I know. Don't tell them that.

Anyway, most of the fitness classes that I attend are filled with women. I think guys are too stuck in their manly, testosterone ridden stereotypes to actually attend a fitness class. Most guys just come to the gym to lift weights and walk around with their chests all puffed up.

But every once in awhile a girl manages to bring her man friend into a fitness class. Sometimes they are gay, but usually it's a husband/wife, girlfriend/boyfriend type of situation. So last night we actually had 3 men in my Cardio Kick class. One was gay, one was a husband, and one I assume was a boyfriend, but could have been gay. Who knows.

I always like to watch the men who come into class because I think a lot of them have a tendency to think it's going to be a really easy class, and that girls are not that hardcore. I even heard the boyfriend guy make a comment to his girlfriend last night about probably needing to take a run after class. HAHA, oh buddy, you have no idea what you got yourself into. The Cardio Kick instructor is one of the most badass teachers there is. She pushes hard, and does not take no for an answer. She once said "I want you to feel like you are going to throw up after this."

So last night class started, and within 20 minutes I noticed all 3 of the men in the class struggling. They had all stopped putting in effort. Barely completing the moves, breathing soooo heavy, and one even stopped shuffling/jumping and just marched in place for awhile.

It was in that few minutes that I had a slight aha moment, or a rather euphoric sensation trickled over me. A lot of the men that come into this class underestimate the power of women. I even underestimate the power of women. But being in this class reminded me how incredibly strong women are. How much they are capable of. And that women can accomplish ANYTHING that they put their minds to.

It also makes me look at my own journey, and realize how far I have come. I am currently so frustrated with the scale, but I have to remember that there was once a day when I couldn't even make it through a Cardio Kick class. And now I stand in the front and go beast mode. There was also a day when I couldn't even do one push-up on my toes, now I can do 3 sets of 15! This is what keeps me going. Getting stronger, not thinner. Or at least that is what I am going to try and focus on for a few weeks!

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